


The Twelve Days of Chenjimas

by zhongwritings



Category: NCT (Band)
Genre: 127 in maid outfits, Angst, Christmas, Christmas fic, Domestic, Fluff, Grocery Shopping, Ice Skating, M/M, Mentioned NCT 127 Ensemble, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Twelve Days Of Christmas, chenle doesn't love christmas but i didn't feel like ruining the summary, daily updates until December 25th!, holiday fic, i tried to make the summary as hallmark-esq as possible lol, maid outfits, so i'm telling you that here
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-13
Updated: 2020-12-25
Packaged: 2021-03-10 23:07:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 13
Words: 16,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28045161
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/zhongwritings/pseuds/zhongwritings
Summary: Jisung has twelve days until Christmas, and he wants to give Chenle the best gift possible, but what can you buy for someone who has it all? Perhaps a stuffed bird? What about twenty-three stuffed birds? How about a self-directed kickline? Or maybe an entire marching band? Either way, Jisung is about to go on a short journey to find out just what makes giving gifts so special; especially if they're for someone you love.
Relationships: Park Jisung/Zhong Chen Le
Comments: 10
Kudos: 93





	1. December 13th

**Author's Note:**

> hi! really quick before we begin: this fic will be updated daily from December 13th until December 25th. if you would prefer to read this all at once, then i advise waiting until December 25th to read it all! the daily updates will be short, but i promise it will be worth it in the end ;) happy holidays <333
> 
> ps. thank you pianeta for such a fantastic idea! i hope you enjoy what i wrote!

**December 13th - 12 days until Christmas**

_On the first day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_A partridge in a pear tree…_

“What… is this?” Chenle asked Jisung, who was standing across from him, an enormous grin on his face as he watched Chenle’s eyes examine the stuffed bird and potted plant he had just handed him. “Is this like… a joke I’m not getting…? Or…”

“Well that’s a pear tree,” Jisung explained, pointing to the plant in Chenle’s hands. “A… Korean pear tree. Uhm, and that’s a partridge! Though you might be thinking that it looks an _awful_ lot like a red crowned crane… haha… anyway I saw them on my walk over and decided to bring them over as housewarming gifts!” He stared at Chenle for a moment before realizing that he didn’t get the reference at all. Jisung couldn’t help but feel relieved.

It was only then that Chenle realized he and Jisung were still standing in his apartment’s foyer, and he nodded quickly as he motioned for Jisung to take his coat off.

“While I do appreciate the gesture,” Chenle called from where he now was at the kitchen sink, watering the pear plant. “I can’t help but remind you that I’ve been living here for two years now, Jisung.” “I know but, uhm, well… they reminded me of you so…” Jisung ran a hand through his hair awkwardly as he watched Chenle from where he was at the entrance of the kitchen. “I hope you like them.”

“I do,” Chenle replied, drying his hands and patting the crane’s head. He smiled down at the stuffed animal, and Jisung couldn’t help but feel a pang of jealousy run through his heart.

 _Stupid partridge- er- crane. Stupid crane._ Jisung thought to himself.

Jisung had been putting a lot of thought into what to get Chenle for Christmas. Chenle _was_ his best friend, after all. He had to give him an amazing gift, something that Chenle didn’t yet have.

But Chenle had everything he wanted.

Minus the fact that they were idols and could pay for whatever they wanted, Chenle’s parents were sure to supply him with anything. He had it made in more ways than one.

And this _was_ Zhong Chenle Jisung was trying to satisfy. Zhong Chenle, who wore the same three t-shirts in rotation for a week. Zhong Chenle, who’s celebrity crush was Stephen Curry. Zhong Chenle, who’s favorite musician was a German composer. This would probably be rather… difficult.

Chenle also wasn’t the greatest fan of Christmas, Jisung had learned. Not to say he was scrooge about it, but he just didn’t care. He never put any special effort into the holiday, and, being that Christmas was Jisung’s _favorite_ holiday, he felt personally offended. Chenle didn’t care for presents, didn’t care for decorations, didn’t care for trees, or carols, or Hallmark movies- Chenle didn’t care for Christmas.

Jisung had made it a special mission of his to spread some Christmas cheer, and that meant that he would be giving Chenle as many fun little gifts as possible, until the _real_ gift would come.

Because Jisung knew Chenle better than anyone. He knew what he wanted, at the end of the day. And as Chenle’s best friend and number one fan, it was Jisung’s job to provide.

So that’s how it became Jisung’s goal to give Chenle the best Christmas ever, and even if there was a bit of play at first… he would figure it out in the end.

A few hours later, after Chenle and Jisung had eaten, they were sitting on the couch in the living room, watching some drama on the television.

“Are you gonna decorate at all?” Jisung asked, looking around the apartment- which was completely devoid of any Christmas or holiday cheer. “It’s kind of… bleak… in here.”

“Decorate for what?” Chenle asked. It was a genuine question.

Truth be told, Chenle wasn’t really one for Christmas.

Every year when the holiday came around he would shrug off everyone’s suggestions for decorations and gift ideas, and would always opt for buying gift cards in place of actual gifts.

It wasn’t that he had any bad Christmas experiences or anything, he just simply didn’t care. It was just another day to him.

“Decorate for… Christmas?” Jisung continued.

“Oh, you know I don’t care about that,” Chenle scoffed. 

“Chenle…” Jisung grumbled. “You have to decorate! What about your mom? Usually she at least makes you put a tree up.”

“My mom isn’t here so no decorations are going up at all,” Chenle replied. He shrugged and then sighed slowly once he saw Jisung’s dejected expression. “If you _absolutely_ feel the need for _me_ to have decorations in _my_ apartment, then you can come over tomorrow and help me put some up. How does that sound?”

“Sounds good to me!” Jisung cheered. “We have extra from the dorm, so I’ll bring those over. Do you have lights and ornaments for the tree?”

“Somewhere in the crawlspace,” Chenle replied, motioning weakly to the closet at the end of the hall. “That’s where my mom keeps all the holiday stuff, so, yeah I guess they’re up there. I don’t know what you expect me to do about a tree, though.”

“Hmm,” Jisung hummed for a moment, mulling it over in his head. “I’ll figure something out. You said you don’t care, right?”

“Right,” Chenle answered. “You can do whatever, it doesn’t matter to me.”

“Alright,” Jisung said, standing from where he was on the couch. He looked down at his watch for a moment before matching Chenle’s gaze. “I better get going then. I have an early day tomorrow. You should sleep, too! I’ll be over at nine!” He marched towards the foyer, slipping his shoes on and waving goodbye to Chenle from across the room. Chenle didn’t even have a moment to get up from the couch before Jisung was halfway out the door, calling out a final “See you tomorrow!”


	2. December 14th

**December 14th - 11 days until Christmas**

On the second day of Christmas, my true love gave to me

Two turtle doves…

Jisung had done everything he could do to get a good Christmas tree for Chenle’s living room. 

He had woken up at five in the morning and walked all the way to the Christmas tree lot that was on the outskirts of the city, and had finally called his manager to come pick him up when he was done picking through the dozens of left over trees. The pickings were slim, but he made it work. 

But Jisung had failed to factor in Chenle’s hatred for waking up early, and when he knocked on his door at eight forty five, he wasn’t surprised to see that he wasn’t getting an answer. 

So Jisung did what any best friend would do.

He left to get them hot chocolate.

Because what’s a Christmas tree decorating party without hot chocolate?

Jisung left the tree and the bag of decorations outside of Chenle’s apartment door, but when he returned from his hot chocolate run, both the tree and the bag were gone.

Jisung, completely confused and exasperated in his rush to get back to Chenle’s before the hot chocolate got cold, started to panic. It wasn’t until he had finished traveling up to the eight other floors of Chenle’s building, searching for the tree and decorations bag, did Jisung think it was time to give up.

Dejectedly, Jisung knocked on Chenle’s door.

He was surprised to hear a yell come from the other side, telling him that the door was open, but he entered the apartment nonetheless, cold hot chocolate and zero decorations in hand.

Chenle, ever the wiser, was standing in the living room with the tree already up in it’s stand, the decorations splayed out in categories on the floor before him.

“Where did you-” Jisung started, before Chenle interrupted him.

“You left them outside,” Chenle said quickly. “I heard you ringing the doorbell, but when I got up to answer it you weren’t there, so I just brought everything inside. Where did you go?”

“Oh- uhm, I uh, went to buy hot chocolate but it was… uhm… really cold out and it ended up getting cold on the way over, so,” Jisung replied.

“Oh, well you can just pop them in the microwave then,” Chenle said, before turning away from Jisung and facing the tree. 

Jisung nodded before walking into the kitchen and putting the hot chocolate cups into the microwave. He sighed to himself as he thought over how cute Chenle looked from where he stood in the living room, eyebrows furrowed in concentration as he tried to decide what to use to decorate.

As much as Chenle didn’t care for Christmas, he was still competitive, and was definitely still one for aesthetics at the end of the day.

“What are you thinking for the design?” Jisung asked as he walked back out into the living room, cups of hot chocolate in hand.

“I like the white lights for the tree… and maybe red around the windows?” Chenle asked, looking up at Jisung from where he had settled on the ground. “What do you think?”

“I think that’s a great idea,” Jisung answered. “We won’t be able to see what it looks like until tonight but I think that sounds pretty solid.” He handed Chenle one of the cups, and smiled as Chenle sipped down the liquid happily, his whiskers on full display as he grinned to himself. “So, are you excited now?”

Chenle’s cheeks went red at Jisung’s question, but he hoped that Jisung thought it was just from the warmth of the hot chocolate.

“I just want my house to look good, if decorations have to be put up,” Chenle answered, before rolling his eyes and jumping to his feet.

“You can start on the tree, since you’re taller than me and can reach the top,” Chenle explained. “I got the ornaments down from the crawlspace so we can put those up after the lights are done.”

Jisung nodded before starting on the tree, wrapping the lights around it over and over again.

As much as Chenle was trying to deny it, Jisung knew that he was having fun. Because Chenle always had fun when he was spending time with Jisung.

After working for a few hours and eventually grabbing lunch, the sun had started to set.

Jisung and Chenle had put decorations all over the house, the tree, the windows, and even the door. And it looked great! There was definitely a sufficient amount of Christmas cheer around the house now, and Jisung felt satisfied with his and Chenle’s work.

Once the sun was down and the apartment was completely illuminated with Christmas lights, Chenle and Jisung decided it was time to put the ornaments on the tree.

Ornaments were always something sentimental, and even though Chenle wasn’t so gung-ho on celebrating Christmas, it was clear to Jisung that he was having a hard time unpacking the ornaments that meant something to him.

It wasn’t until Chenle excused himself to the bathroom, did Jisung realize that something was wrong. Chenle had been in the bathroom for well over twenty minutes, and Jisung had gotten up to check and see how he was doing- when he heard the sound of Chenle crying.

Is he… crying?

Jisung sighed to himself before walking to the foyer and slipping out the door. He needed to get something for Chenle to cheer him up, and -in the theme of Christmas- he had the perfect idea.

After running to the nearest boutique, Jisung found almost exactly what he was looking for.

“Where did you go?” Chenle asked once Jisung got himself through the door. 

“To grab something,” Jisung replied. He noticed that Chenle had gotten almost all of the ornaments on the tree, and there was only one left lying on the floor before him. “Since there are eleven days until Christmas, I decided to grab you two turtle doves.”

“... two… what?” Chenle asked. He watched as Jisung pulled a plastic bag from behind his back and handed it to him.

“Just… I know you don’t have your mom out here with you like you’re used to,” Jisung explained. “And you haven’t lived with your parents in a long time, so… here they are.”

Chenle took the bag from Jisung and took out a pair of matching stuffed blackbirds, one with a red ribbon, the other with blue.

“They’re so cute,” Chenle cooed at the birds. He looked up at Jisung and smiled for a moment, before his expression went soft. “Thank you Jisung.”

“Of course,” Jisung replied. He sat beside Chenle, who reached out and handed him the last ornament. It was a ceramic globe that had a picture of the two of them printed on it.

“My mom gave that to me for Christmas last year, so,” Chenle turned his head as he tried to cover the blush that was starting to burn up his neck.

Jisung smiled before leaning up and hanging it front and center on the tree. 

“I think it’s cute,” Jisung replied. “I love it, actually.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! twt + cc @zhongwritings   
> thank you for reading <333


	3. December 15th

**December 15th - 10 days until Christmas**

_On the third day of Christmas. my true love gave to me_

_Three French hens…_

Ten days until Christmas and Jisung was doing all he could to prepare Chenle’s gift. He had the perfect idea for it, but the execution was the part he was struggling with.

He had gotten Chenle to decorate the house, and had even -in Jisung’s opinion- gotten Chenle to like Christmas just a _little_ more. 

So as the days began to move faster and Christmas was getting even closer, Jisung knew full well that he had to kick it into high gear, just so everything was perfect.

On Tuesday morning Jisung was surprised to hear the sound of his phone ringing at half past ten, and was even more surprised to see it was Chenle that was calling.

Not that he was complaining.

“Hello?” Jisung answered, after he had cleared his throat and did his best to sound as awake as possible.

“Hey,” Chenle said on the other side. “I need to go out grocery shopping today, if you wanted to come along with me? Normally I go alone but I just don’t feel like being lonely today.”

_Lonely._

“Sure,” Jisung replied, a dopey smile already plastered on his face. “What time did you want to go?”

“I was just getting ready to leave now, if that’s okay with you?” Chenle asked.

“Oh, uhm,” Jisung stood from his bed and looked at the bird’s nest that his hair had become overnight. He quickly started digging through his clothes as he tried to find a good outfit, Chenle still on the line. “Yeah that- that’s fine! Just give me like fifteen minutes.”

“Alright! I’ll leave in like five then,” Chenle replied. “See you soon Sungie.”

“S-see you.”

Jisung blinked once. Twice. Three times. He was frozen where he stood in the middle of the room, black sweater pulled haphazardly over one arm, his head just barely poking out of the hole.

Did Chenle just call _him_ Sungie?

“Did Chenle just call _me_ Sungie?” Jisung asked the empty room. 

He quickly got his clothing situated before trying to force the blush from his cheeks as he walked out of his bedroom. He couldn’t let Jaemin see him like this- especially not this early in the morning.

But, of course Jisung’s luck is terrible.

“Why are you blushing?” Was the first thing out of Jaemin’s mouth when he saw Jisung try to sneak past the kitchen on the way to the bathroom. “And why are you all dressed up? Are you going somewhere?”

“I-I’m not blushing,” Jisung tried. He smoothed his hair down with his palm as he turned to face Jaemin with as bleak of an expression on his face as he could manage. “And I’m going out with Chenle.”

Jaemin stared at Jisung for what felt like forever, before a devilish smirk spread across his face.

“So you’re blushing because you’re going out with Chenle,” Jaemin replied. “And you got all dressed up because you want to look cute in front of him, right?” He cocked his head to the side in feint innocence, to which Jisung just grumbled and nodded before stomping out of the room. “I’m happy for you!” Jaemin called down the hallway. “It’s kind of like a date, if you think about it!”

And all he got in reply was a muffled ‘shut up’ from the other side of the door.

~ 

Going out with Chenle wasn’t weird, or an event of any kind, but Jisung couldn’t help but feel his heartbeat in his throat as Chenle talked excitedly about what he was going to buy from the store.

Apparently they were going to some secluded asian market in the next city over, and Chenle promised Jisung that they wouldn’t even be _recognized_ by the people who shop at this particular store.

And Jisung understood why- when they arrived.

The store itself looked completely normal on the outside- maybe a little run down and boring, compared to the rest of the city, but it was still seemingly okay.

Once they stepped inside though, everything changed.

Inside of the store were a few elderly people shopping around, and what had to have been hundreds of vendor stalls that extended down the walls of the inside of the store.

Jisung stared in amazement as Chenle began shopping. 

Chinese spices here, rare ingredients there, foreign cuisine at another stall. All of it was so incredibly obscure that Jisung didn’t know what to make of it, but seeing the excited expression on Chenle’s face when he would get the opportunity to speak in Mandarin with one of the stall owners or customers- that made the journey completely worth it for Jisung.

As they were approaching the very back end of the store, their cart already filled to the brim with groceries, Jisung heard a noise.

Or- rather a… quack?

He turned his head, searching for the source of the sound, and when he had finally convinced himself that he imagined it, he heard it again.

_Quack. Quack. Quack._

“Chenle,” Jisung said suddenly, grabbing Chenle’s arm to halt him where he stood. “Do you hear that?”

“Hear what-”

_Quack. Quack. Quack._

“Are those ducks-”

“Shh!” Came a voice from behind them. They spun around quickly, and saw a small old man with white facial hair, a mischievous grin on his face. “Come here, but be quiet.” He whispered to them.

Chenle and Jisung shared a look before stepping forward and entering the man’s stall. Inside everything seemed normal. It looked like he was selling feed for livestock and other farming equipment, nothing too out of the ordinary.

_Quack. Quack. Quack._

Well, at least it didn’t _look_ like anything was off about the stall.

“I have something here,” The man said to Chenle and Jisung. He waved them over with his hand, and motioned for them to look at what looked like a small box with a sheet over it. “Now be quiet when I show you, alright?”

Chenle and Jisuhng nodded in unison, before watching the man uncover the box and reveal…

A box of baby chicks?

“Uhm, sir, is this-” Jisung began.

“This is a secret, okay?” The man said, interrupting Jisung. “No one here can know I have them here, or I’ll be kicked out forever.”

“But sir they’re chicks-”

“Shh!” The man said once more. “You need to be quiet so no one hears you! Look, my hen hatched them two weeks ago but I needed to send her off to get some medicine today, and they need to have someone watch them, so I brought them here with me. I’ll let you play with them if you promise to not tell anyone I have them here.”

“Sure,” Chenle agreed, a huge smile on his face as the man walked away and left the pair alone with the chicks. “Look how cute they are~” Chenle cooed. He reached down and brushed the top of one of the chicks’ head with the pad of his index finger, whiskers on full display. “I wish I could bring one home… hmm I wish I could bring all _three_ home.” He sighed as he played with the chicks for a bit longer, Jisung happy to just watch Chenle in enjoyment.

Chenle and Jisung got up to leave a few minutes later, but the man was quick to grab Jisung before he could walk away.

“Take this,” The man said, before stuffing a small paper bag into Jisung’s hands. “I saw the way you were looking at him. If you like him so much, you have to do everything in your power to make him happy. Don’t forget that.”

Jisung could feel the burn on his cheeks as the man spoke to him, and he bowed before making his way back to Chenle.

After finally checking out of the store, Chenle and Jisung headed back to Chenle’s apartment. They quickly unloaded all of the groceries before Chenle whipped together a simple dinner for them, and eventually they were just left sitting at the dining room table, bellies full.

Chenle looked up at the clock and frowned. “Do we have practice tomorrow morning?”

“Oh shoot! We do,” Jisung answered before rising from his seat and making his way towards the door, Chenle trailing behind him. He slipped his sneakers on before he heard the crinkle of the bag in his pocket, and stopped on his way out the door. “Here, uhm, this is for you,” He handed Chenle the bag, completely unsure of its contents.

Chenle blinked before nodding and opening it, and as he peered inside, Jisung could have sworn he saw hearts in his eyes.

“Jisung you-” Chenle began, before reaching into the bag and pulling out three miniature stuffed chicks. “This is so sweet! When did you buy these?”

“Shh,” Jisung mocked. “That’s a secret,” He whispered, before sending Chenle a final smile and goodbye, and making his way out the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! twt + cc: @zhongwritings
> 
> thank you for reading <333


	4. December 16th

**December 16th - 9 days until Christmas**

_On the fourth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Four calling birds…_

Early morning practices were the worst part of the week, Chenle had concluded.

He hated waking up and having to drag himself out of his nice, warm bed, and then get dressed and drag himself all the way over to the company so he could _exercise._

If there was one thing he hated more than waking up and practicing- it was exercise.

So when morning rolled around and Chenle had finally gotten out of his bed -at the fifth and final ring of his alarm- he was surprised to find himself to be… well rested?

He had an unfamiliar feeling in his chest that helped in clearing the sleep from his body, but he couldn’t place his finger on just what the feeling was, so he just continued on with his morning like normal.

Normally getting out of his pajamas and into athletic clothes was an even bigger challenge for Chenle, but today his body just felt ready to get up and go. He brushed his teeth and threw a hat on before bundling himself in his coat and beginning his journey to the SM building.

The mood he was in was helping to put a skip into his step, and when he arrived at the building, he realized the strange feeling he had in his chest was excitement.

Chenle was excited.

For what… he didn’t know.

But he knew he was excited for something. Perhaps their practice was for something special that he had forgotten about? Or maybe they were going to have a shortened day and his intuition was already telling him about it.

As Chenle climbed the endless flights of stairs, lost in thought and question, he was suddenly reminded of the person he had been spending all of his time with recently.

Jisung.

Chenle had seen him not even twelve hours prior, but he just couldn’t kick the feeling that began to bloom in his heart when he thought about seeing the other boy.

Chenle was… excited to see Jisung?

Of course he was excited. Jisung was Chenle’s best friend! They spent so much time together, it made sense for him to miss him when he was gone.

_I… miss him?_ Chenle asked himself. _I miss Jisung? I- why would I miss him? I just saw him last night._

Chenle ran his fingers through his hair as he tried to shake the thoughts of missing Jisung from his head, and eventually found himself right in front of the practice room door.

He sighed before pushing it open, revealing the rest of NCT Dream- Jisung included. The feeling in Chenle’s chest spread even more throughout his body, and he could vaguely feel the fluttering of butterfly wings in his stomach as he walked over to where Jisung was standing across the room.

Chenle’s eyes immediately took in Jisung’s features.

Today he was wearing fitted black workout pants and a tight black t-shirt, and Chenle couldn’t help but blush at the thoughts running through his mind. Jisung’s biceps were much bigger than Chenle remembers them being, and even his legs looked stronger through the black fabric of the pants he was wearing.

Chenle hadn’t realized that Jisung had grown so much.

“... are you?” Jisung’s voice came cutting into Chenle’s thoughts, snapping him out of the haze he was in.

“Huh?” Chenle said dumbly. “What did you say?”

“I said ‘good morning, how are you?’” Jisung replied, a strange look on his face as he looked down at Chenle. “You alright?”

“Oh- uhm yeah!” Chenle answered quickly, shaking his hands in front of him- as if he was trying to clear away any of the hearts that his eyes were sending Jisung. “I just didn’t sleep well last night, so I’m, uh, kind of out of it right now, sorry.”

“Well try and sleep better, okay?” Jisung said sweetly, smiling at Chenle as he placed one of his palms on top of his head. “You need to be awake during practice so I have someone to talk to.”

“Oh- right, right,” Chenle replied. He nodded slowly as Jisung marched off to go stretch with Jaemin on the other side of the room, and Chenle couldn’t help but feel relief wash over him.

Why was his heart beating so fast?

~ 

Practice was over in a flash, and just as Chenle was getting ready to head home and fall into his bed and go back to sleep, Jisung grabbed him.

“I wanted to give you something before you left,” Jisung muttered quietly. He looked over Chenle’s shoulder and watched as everyone else cleared out of the practice room, leaving them alone at last. “It’s kind of corny but I saw it and just couldn’t pass it up, so, here,” His cheeks were bright red as he handed Chenle a gift bag, which made Chenle’s heart beat even faster than before.

Why was Jisung blushing?

Chenle grinned at Jisung before reaching into the bag and pulling out a cardboard box with a piece of plastic covering one side, showing that there was a small quartet of stuffed songbirds inside. His eyes grazed the box before he pressed a red button that was on the side, and the birds began to sing.

_“nuni odeon geu gillo_

_hanchameul wasseul ttae_

_dorabomyeon neoneun geogi itneun geol_

_yeohaengi kkeutnal ttaejjeum_

_nan alge dwel geoya_

_geuttaecheoreom gaseume gadeuk ango_

_seubgwancheoreom mudjido anko_

_dashi gyeoteuro_

_I’m coming home.”_

Chenle’s eyes lit up as he heard Doyoung, Hyuck, Jaehyun, and Taeil’s voices come from the birds inside of the box. He looked up at Jisung, who was rubbing the back of his neck shyly.

“They just released that in the store in the lobby… and I know how much you love _Coming Home_ , so I thought you might like it.” He explained, sheepish and quiet as he muttered every word.

“Jisung this is so… I love it,” Chenle replied, as he read over the words on the box, wonder in his eyes as he took in the toy in his hands. “Thank you… really… I love this so much. You know me so well.”

“Hah, well, I guess,” Jisung said. “But of course I mean… I instantly thought of you when I saw it so I had to get it. I hope you don’t think it's weird.” “No,” Chenle said, shaking his head as he played the music once more. He looked into Jisung’s eyes, and his expression went soft. “I really love it so much. It’s perfect.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! twt + cc: @zhongwritings
> 
> thank you for reading!! see you tomorrow <333


	5. December 17th

**December 17th - 8 days until Christmas**

_On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Five golden rings…_

Morning practice being long over, Chenle had finally found himself at home. He was laying on the couch, playing a game on his phone, when something caught his eye in the corner of the room.

Chenle looked over to the table he threw all of his items on when he got home, and he made eye contact with one of the four stuffed singing birds Jisung had given him the day previous.

 _Why has Jisung been giving me so many things lately?_ Chenle asked himself.

He stood from the couch and picked up the stuffed birds before he made his way to his bedroom, where all of Jisung’s other gifts from the past few days had been lying on his bed.

He propped the quartet of birds beside all of the other ones, and backed away from the bed, examining the group before him.

Chenle’s mind wandered away from the thought of his growing stuffed bird collection, and instead traveled to the topic of Jisung himself.

 _My heart was beating so hard all day yesterday and today… and it was because of Jisung._ _He’s been spending so much time with me lately, giving me gifts, being there for me since I’m alone, trying to get me in the Christmas spirit… Considering he’s so tall and handsome now.... It’s hard not to look at him like an adult when he walks around all lean and muscular. But… I can’t like him. He’s my best friend! And we’re idols! I would have felt like this sooner if I was supposed to go and develop a crush on him. Wait… a… **crush** on him?_

“There is no way I like Park Jisung,” Chenle grumbled. He shook his head, almost laughing at his own words. He looked around the room, catching the eyes of the birds Jisung had given him. “And what are you looking at?” Chenle asked the red crowned crane. He huffed out a sigh before running a hand through his hair and turning and walking out of his bedroom. “There is no way that I’ve been swooning over Jisung for the past few days… no _way_.”

Chenle was about to toss himself back onto the couch and bury himself in his own personal puddle of anguish, before he heard his doorbell ring.

_Who…_

Chenle walked over to the door and tried to look through the peephole, but something was covering it, so he couldn’t see through to the other side. Suspicious, Chenle tried to back away from the door as quietly as he could, too scared to see what kind of weird person might be standing on the other side of his door, but halfway back into his living room he stumbled over his pair of _Curry6 ‘Rep The Bay’_ sneakers, and ultimately crashed onto the ground.

It was silent for a moment before he heard someone call out to him through the door.

“Chenle?” It was Jisung’s voice. “Are you okay? What happened? Are you in there?”

Chenle’s face went bright red as he scrambled back onto his feet and rushed towards the door, throwing it open and meeting Jisung face to face.

“Chenle-” “I’m okay!” Chenle said quickly, laughing lightly as he invited Jisung inside. “Sorry, uhm, I was just organizing my shoes and hearing the doorbell ring kind of surprised me so… yeah.” He kicked the pile of his sneakers to the side, clearing the way so Jising could take his shoes off and get comfortable in the foyer. “What uhm.. What brings you here?” Chenle asked. 

Jisung blushed before clearing his throat and pulling a plastic bag from behind his back. “I brought dinner, if you’re hungry?” 

“Oh, yeah, I am,” Chenle answered, smiling up at Jisung as he led him into the kitchen. 

“Sorry for just coming by unannounced,” Jisung continued. “I should have texted, but I saw this new Italian place on the way home and I knew that you would be mad if we didn’t try it together.”

_If we didn’t try it… together?_

“That’s okay,” Chenle replied. “I haven’t eaten yet so your timing is perfect actually.”

Jisung smiled at Chenle before he started unpacking the bags and getting plates ready for them to eat. Chenle, on the other hand, excused himself to the bathroom so he could think about just _why_ Jisung showed up to his house at half past six with an entire bag of his favorite food.

Food that he brought for them to eat _together_ … or else Chenle would be _mad_.

Right.

Chenle looked himself over in his bathroom mirror, suddenly entirely too aware of the fact that he was wearing an oversized t-shirt and sweatpants, and probably didn’t look as good as he could look in front of his alleged _crush_.

When he made his way back to the kitchen, Jisung had all of the food splayed out on the table, and he was waiting patiently for Chenle to join him.

“This looks so good,” Chenle said, sighing as he sat down. 

“It might be our new place,” Jisung replied. He started putting some food on Chenle’s plate, humming quietly to himself.

 _ **Our** … new place? _Chenle thought, his heartbeat quickening in his throat. He and Jisung were going to have a _place_? Did they already have places? Is that what Jisung meant?

He tried to ignore the excitement that started pulsing through him, and tried to enjoy the meal as they began eating.

Once dinner was over and Chenle found him and Jisung sitting on his couch for the fifth time that week, he finally decided to have a serious talk with Jisung.

“Can I ask you something?” Chenle muttered, his voice just barely above a whisper as he looked over to Jisung through his eyelashes.

“Sure,” Jisung answered. “Whats up?” 

“It’s just uhm… we’ve been hanging out a lot lately,” Chenle began. “And it makes me really happy, of course… but I just wanted to make sure you’re okay? I mean, we’ve been friends forever so I have no problem hanging with you, but it’s been every day for almost a week. Is something going on at the dorm?”

Jisung stared at Chenle for a moment, and Chenle could have sworn he saw hurt pass through Jisung’s eyes for a split second.

“No, uhm, nothing is going on,” Jisung replied. “I just wanted to spend some more time with you, you know, since Christmas is coming around soon and all… and I know you don’t love Christmas, but I thought I could try and bring some holiday cheer around, especially since you’re alone here right now. If you don’t want me to hang around you can just tell me-”

“No,” Chenle interrupted. “I don’t- that’s not what I’m saying, Jisung. I want to hang out with you, of course. I was just curious to see why you had been coming by so often. I know it's been hard with promotions, and I wanted to make sure there wasn’t anything going on at the dorm because I know you guys can butt heads sometimes. You’re more than welcome to come by whenever you want. You can even stay the night here if you want to.”

“Really?” Jisung asked.

“Of course,” Chenle answered. 

“I’ll stay over tomorrow night then, if that’s okay?”

“Sounds great,” Chenle replied. 

“Okay then I’m excited!” Jisung cheered. “We can watch a Christmas movie and play some video games. How does that sound?”

“Whatever you want, Sungie.”

Jisung’s cheeks went red at Chenle’s sudden nickname for him, but he smiled nonetheless.

“Oh, uhm, I have another gift for you,” Jisung said suddenly, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a small box. “You might think this one is weird but… I don’t know… just look, I guess.”

Chenle nodded as he opened the box, revealing five _silver_ rings?

“What are-”

“You never wear jewelry or anything, so I saw these and I thought they would be good to start you on, if you wanted to wear them… and I have a matching set, so.”

_A **matching** set?_

“I like them,” Chenle said quietly. He slipped one of the rings over his forefinger, holding it up in the air and looking at it. “They’re really cute, actually.”

“Well I’m glad you like them.”

“Thank you, Ji,” Chenle mumbled. “I don’t really know why you’ve been giving me so many gifts recently, but this one is really different. I appreciate them all, honestly.”

“Of course,” Jisung replied. He looked at Chenle, the Christmas tree shining behind him, the room suddenly feeling entirely too small for just the two of them. Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and it felt like the world was shrinking in on them. 

It was just Chenle and Jisung, Jisung and Chenle.

Jisung wanted to close the space between them even further, wanted to hold Chenle, or kiss Chenle, or do _something_ , _anything_. But at the same time he wanted to run in the opposite direction and abandon the feeling he had of them slowly becoming more than friends- or at least that’s what it felt like to Jisung.

But Jisung really didn’t know what to do, so instead he just cleared his throat and let the moment pass.

“I’ll uhm, I’ll leave now,” Jisung announced suddenly. “I’ll be over tomorrow for the sleepover okay?”

“Oh-okay,” Chenle answered. He watched as Jisung stood and made his way towards the door, before waving goodbye and disappearing into the night.

_See you tomorrow..._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry i feel like the chapters are just getting worse... uh anyway comments and kudos are much appreciated!!  
> twt + cc: @zhongwritings  
> thank you for reading <333


	6. December 18th

**December 18th - 7 days until Christmas**

_On the sixth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Six geese a laying…_

Christmas is sort of a weird thing.

Chenle realizes this the day after Jisung basically ran from the moment they were having, and now he was laying on the couch, contemplating the concept of _Christmas_ while staring at the silver ring he has placed on his forefinger. 

He had plenty of time before Jisung was to arrive -with promised pizza and chicken- and with the effervescent glow of the Christmas lights that Jisung forced him to put up burning through the front of his eyelids, Chenle couldn’t take his mind off of the holiday.

It wasn’t that it wasn’t celebrated in Korea, because it _was_ , technically. But Chenle knew Christmas pretty much by definition only.

The definition being:

_Christmas: The annual Christian festival celebrating Christ's birth, held on December 25 in the Western Church._

And that definition wasn’t exactly giving Chenle much to work with, in terms of just why the holiday had become so popularized in South Korea, where most of the citizens were irreligious. Chenle supposed the American tradition of capitalist gift-giving had somehow made its way to the other side of the world, but it wasn’t as if he had seen much advertising in terms of Santa Claus or the North Pole where all the elves worked making gifts or whatever.

And then it hit Chenle- same as most everything else in Korea, dramas, music, entertainment, fashion, etc. Christmas was about _romance._ Christmas was about kissing your significant other under the snow for the first time, and then going home and exchanging modest gifts, and then falling asleep in each other’s arms on the couch with the fire blazing before you. Christmas was supposed to be for _adults_.

So there Chenle was- sitting on the couch, twirling the ring _Jisung_ had given him around his finger, surrounded by lights _Jisung_ had forced him to put up, waiting for _Jisung_ to arrive with dinner for the sleepover _they_ were having that night.

And Jisung had been forcing Christmas spirit and cheer on Chenle for nearly a week now, and Chenle really let it sink in that Christmas was more than Santa Claus and the North Pole, and more about romance and falling in love.

So maybe Chenle _was_ falling in love with Jisung.

But was he supposed to? 

Was he supposed to realize that his best friend had grown into a man who stood half a head taller than him, and was probably the only person on the planet that would put up with his antics and attitude? Was Chenle supposed to realize that Jisung had been pushing Christmas on him all week because he wanted him to fall in love with him? Did Jisung _want_ Chenle to fall in love with him?

Chenle didn’t have much time left to think before his front door was flying open and Jisung was rushing inside, arms full of bags.

Jisung kicked his sneakers off and stumbled into the kitchen before placing his overnight bag down onto the ground and running off to Chenle’s bathroom while shouting ‘I need to pee’. Chenle sighed.

This was the guy he was falling for.

Chenle made his way into the kitchen, cleaning up a bit of the mess Jisung had made with the bags, and finally started unpacking their food.

This had become almost routine for them, Chenle realized.

Jisung would come over and they would eat and play videogames or chat or watch whatever drama was on that night, before Jisung would pack up his stuff and leave late into the night, under the guise that their manager would be mad if he stayed out any longer. Except this time Jisung wasn’t leaving.

Jisung was staying with Chenle tonight, probably in Chenle’s full sized bed, where Jisung’s legs would hang off of the end, and where Jisung’s arms would probably find themselves wrapped around Chenle’s torso before he could fall asleep, ultimately resulting in him burning bright red and being unable to sleep with Jisung’s subtle breathing against his neck. The worst part, Chenle realized, was that they had done this all before.

Back when it was ‘normal’ for them to hang out, back when Chenle didn’t get weird butterflies in his stomach when he was around Jisung, back when things seemed much more _okay_ than they currently were.

It wasn’t long before Jisung had come back, and Chenle had found them wrapped up in their routine once more. They ate, played some games, and then there they were- standing in Chenle’s bedroom in their pajamas, staring over at Chenle’s bed, which had basically now become a mound of stuffed birds.

Jisung laughed before wordlessly walking out of the room, returning shortly after with another paper gift bag.

“You already have so many of these birds,” Jisung began. It was obvious that he was trying to stifle a laugh as he spoke. “So why not add a few more? There are six little eggs in there as well, but they’re their own gifts that you’re going to have to wait until Christmas Eve for.” 

Chenle grumbled before pulling out six plush geese, each with a respective plastic egg tied to their wings. “Why can’t I open the eggs tonight?”

“BecauseI I’m tired and they’re a surprise,” Jisung said uselessly, before tossing the bag aside and pulling Chenle onto the bed, hitting the light on the way down. “Cuddle with me and let’s sleep, okay?”

Sure, maybe two teenage boys cuddling was a _little_ weird. But Chenle was used to Jisung’s usual antics, right?

Not so.

Not when his skin was on fire in every place Jisung’s hand touched him, not when his brain was completely hazed over with Jisung’s scent, not when Chenle was trying to calm himself down and remind himself of the fact that he and Jisung had done this a million times prior, and just because he was aware of the fact that he had feelings for his best friend, didn’t mean that that meant things needed to be any different. 

So Chenle just nodded and tried to flood his thoughts with horrible things like upcoming schedules and the time he lost to Mark in _Pro Evolution Soccer 2019_. 

But really, no matter what Chenle tried to think about or do- he was still painfully aware of the fact that he was cuddling in his own bed with his best friend, who may or may not be trying to make him fall in love with him by Christmas.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! comments and kudos are much appreciated <333  
> twt + cc: @zhongwritings


	7. Decemeber 19th

**December 19th - 7 days until Christmas**

_On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Seven swans a swimming…_

Chenle wasn’t sure what to expect the morning after he and Jisung had their sleepover, but it probably wasn’t waking up wrapped in Jisung’s arms, his face pressed into Jisung’s neck, which was, even now, a little _too_ close for comfort.

Being that the sun was just starting to flitter through the curtains, Chenle could assume that it was very early in the morning, and was probably too early to wake Jisung up now.

So he stayed in the comfort of his best friend’s arms for as long as his brain would allow him to. There was no point in moving away or ruining the moment, not when he had Jisung like this- peaceful, quiet, calm, etc. Not when he had Jisung in a position where he couldn’t consciously run away from what was _obviously_ going on between them.

This wasn’t all that different to Chenle, compared to everything they had done and been through together for the four years they had been friends. There was no point in making it awkward or weird or anything like that. Not when they were so used to it being like this.

But Chenle _did_ have to wonder how much longer it would be like this. Was he just supposed to realize his -severe- feelings for Jisung, spend all of his time with him for days on end, get gifts and advice from him, eat nearly every meal with him, and what? This would continue on like this forever without any further development? Not if it was up to Chenle. If Jisung wanted to make Chenle like him, or whatever this situation was, then Chenle would push it just a bit further and actually execute the plan. He wasn’t going to back down. Especially not now.

So when Chenle’s alarm rang at 9:30 and Jisung stirred awake, Chenle pressed himself even further into Jisung’s neck, and stretched his arms around Jisung’s torso, in an attempt to make some sort of move. He wanted to laugh, too, when he felt Jisung stiffen underneath him.

 _How like Jisung to start something and never plan on finishing it the way it's meant to be finished._ Chenle thought. He lifted his head from where it was hidden in Jisung’s neck, and smiled hazily at Jisung.

“Good morning,” Chenle mumbled. “Can we sleep in?”

“Good morning,” Jisung replied. His breath hitched in his throat as Chenle placed his head back onto his chest, and he took a deep breath before speaking again. “I have plans for us actually… so no, we can’t sleep in today. I know it’s Saturday-”

“You made plans?” Chenle asked, head suddenly shooting up. “What are we doing?”

“It’s a surprise,” Jisung answered. “But we need to dress warm. That’s all I’ll say.”

“Okay,” Chenle pouted, before lifting himself from Jisung and climbing off of the bed. He started shuffling through his sweaters while Jisung walked to the bathroom to get ready.

It was domestic- in a really weird way.

It felt as though Chenle had just woken up, and started getting ready for work or something, while his husband got ready alongside him. The thought of potentially marrying Jisung made his face burn with fondness, even though marriage was about 10 million miles away from where they currently were.

While his brain was flooded with thoughts of marriage and any kind of future with Jisung, they eventually made themselves breakfast.

And it wasn’t long until Jisung was hailing a cab and the pair were sitting in the backseat, Christmas music playing softly as they drove through the city, the hustle and bustle of reality blanketed under the comfort of the adventure they were anticipating going on together.

“Can I have a hint?” Chenle asked after a bit of silence.

“A hint for what?” Jisung questioned.

“A hint for where we’re going,” Chenle replied. “I mean, you made me bundle up to my ears in warm clothes, so I have to assume it’s going to be something outside. But it's hard to do stuff outside because of… like, who we are? I guess… So, any hints?”

“Hmm,” Jisung hummed, mulling the question over for a moment. “It _is_ outside… but it’s safe for us, I promise.”

Chenle narrowed his eyes at Jisung before nodding. “Fine…”

Twenty minutes later the taxi was dropping them off at a bus station on the outskirts of the city, and Chenle couldn’t help but agree that it was safe for them- considering they were in the middle of _nowhere_.

“Where are we?” He asked, once Jisung had sent the taxi off on it’s way. “There’s like nothing here.”

“We just have to walk a bit, and then we’ll be there,” Jisung replied. “It’s private property so I couldn’t have the taxi bring us that far.” “Private property?” Chenle questioned. “Are we breaking the law?” He whispered the last bit as he followed Jisung up the road, who just started laughing gingerly at Chenle’s questions.

“No, we aren’t breaking the law,” Jisung said. “And no more questions! You’ll see when we get there. It’s right up the road.”

Chenle grumbled a quiet complaint, but he followed Jisung anyway. He could vaguely see a tall-standing farmhouse at the end of a lengthy driveway, and Jisung smiled at him before leading him onto the property.

Dismissed from asking questions, Chenle just went along with it.

Jisung was a few feet in front of him, and the view of the tree cover shading Jisung as he walked along the dirt road- it made Chenle’s stomach fill with butterflies. He was definitely in _deep_.

Before long, Jisung was turning around and waving Chenle towards him, and he winked down at him as they finally landed upon the house. Jisung knocked on the door, and they waited in silence until a middle-aged woman opened the door and invited them in. She seemed excited about something, and as she and Jisung spoke to one another, Chenle looked around the foyer. The inside of the house seemed more like a business than a residence, and Chenle let his eyes scan a large glass case that had trophies and plaques with small words imprinted on them.

Chenle didn’t get to read the words, before Jisung was grabbing his hand and leading him outside. They went through the backdoor, and before Chenle was a large, ovular, ice rink. It seemed to be naturally made, despite its size. 

The woman handed Jisung two pairs of ice skates before going back inside.

“We’re… ice skating?” Chenle asked. 

“Yup,” Jisung replied, a large grin on his face. “Let’s get the skates on and get out there!”

Ice skating was… definitely not Chenle’s forte- not to say it was Jisung’s, either.

They tried to skate, but just ultimately shuffled across the ice, Chenle occasionally trying to move faster than a snail and landing on his butt every single time. The soreness was worth it, considering he got Jisung to laugh at his clumsiness.

It was weirdly _romantic_ , considering the fact that it was just the two of them on a farm, miles away from the city.

Chenle was happy.

After an hour or so of failed skating, they went back inside of the house and changed into their sneakers, opting to sit on a bench in the front yard with hot chocolate the woman had made them.

Chenle found out from Jisung that this farm was a business, and that the woman herself was a retired ice skater who opened the rink privately to whoever it was that wanted to rent it. Meaning that Jisung rented an entire ice skating rink for the two of them. Chenle’s brain was reeling.

Jisung went inside after he finished his hot chocolate, leaving Chenle outside to look over the scenery. It was weirdly far from all that they knew, despite the fact that they were only twenty or so minutes out from the city.

Chenle liked it. He liked being alone with Jisung, in a place where they could just have fun without having to worry about fans or their managers or their members. It was nice.

Jisung came back out of the house after a short while, and handed Chenle _another_ paper gift bag.

“Another gift?” Chenle asked, dumbfounded. “Jisung I-”

“This one is more… sentimental? I guess…” Jisung interjected. “They’re special.”

Chenle sighed before opening the bag and pulling out six miniature swan figurines, each with their own colored bow.

“That’s us,” Jisung explained. “Since you don’t live at the dorm… now you can have us around whenever you want.”

“But there are only six,” Chenle replied. “There are seven of us.”

“I have one,” Jisung said, sheepish as a blush crept up his neck. “It’s yours…”

“Oh- uhm, well,” Chenle stammered, his cheeks mirroring Jisung’s. “T-thank you… these are… really cute. Thank you, Jisung. Now… I won’t be so alone.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading! kudos and comments are much appreciated <333  
> twt + cc: @zhongwritings


	8. December 20th

**December 20th - 5 days until Christmas**

_On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Eight maids a milking..._

The following day the dreamies had practice, so Jisung didn’t need to make plans with Chenle.

The idea of seeing Chenle was exciting to Jisung. Of course he was always excited to see Chenle, but now that they were getting along in a different way… he couldn’t help but look forward to seeing him even more.

Jisung had known for years that he had feelings for Chenle.

It started as a simple crush when they were kids. Chenle was so… rambunctious. He was all high energy and new experiences and loud laughs and whiskers. Jisung was quiet. He was shy, scared, and calm in every single way -in comparison to Chenle-.

Jisung had become somewhat obsessed with Chenle and his growth. His personality was so different in comparison to Jisung’s that Jisung couldn’t help but be intrigued by him. 

This interest slowly grew into butterflies, and then excitement, and now whatever _this_ feeling was that Jisung had when he was around Chenle.

The week that it had been definitely changed things, especially since Chenle seemed to be reciprocating the feeling that Jisung was trying to convey.

So when they found themselves together once again, after the romantic day they had the previous afternoon, there was a different feeling in the air. It wasn’t tension, it wasn’t unease, it wasn’t even awkward; it just felt… different.

“Do you have any plans?” Jisung asked Chenle, who was sitting beside him lacing his sneakers up. 

“Plans?” Chenle asked, voice slow and thick with uncertainty. 

“Yeah, uhm, for tonight?” 

“No… I’m pretty much always free,” Chenle replied, not matching Jisung’s gaze. “I mean, especially if it's for you…” He mumbled the last part, just barely loud enough for Jisung to hear.

“Oh- uhm… okay well… let’s go out then, okay?” Jisung asked, his face red and burning under Chenle’s words, the way they hung in the air between them making the space between them feel even more _different_.

“Sure… Where do you want to go?”

“I don’t have any specific plans, if you have anything you want to do,” Jisung explained. “We can go out, or stay in… I’m fine with anything.”

Chenle rested his cheek on his knee, and looked up at the ceiling as he thought over Jisung’s words. 

_How does he look so cute just thinking…_ Jisung wondered.

“Hmm we can…” Chenle began, trailing off slowly at the end of his sentence. “Stay in? It’s kind of cold out, don’t you think?”

“Yeah it is,” Jisung agreed. It was silent for a moment before he spoke again. “You can… come back to the dorm if you want to? I think Jeno and Jaemin have plans and Renjun went to stay the night at Hyuck’s dorm with the hyungs. We don’t have practice tomorrow, right? So you can stay as long as you want.”

“Oh, okay,” Chenle replied. “I would like that. I haven’t been to the dorm in forever.”

~

The walk to the dorm was mostly quiet, the subtle sound of icy leaves crunching underneath Chenle and Jisung’s feet making up most of the sound.

When they arrived at the dorm it was dark, the lights having been shut off since that morning, the deep glow of the streetlights coming in through the windows being the only lightsource in the apartment.

“It’s clean,” Chenle observed. “Normally you guys aren’t so neat and tidy…”

“Well, you know, we are getting older now,” Jisung replied. “No sense in letting the house get dirty unnecessarily.” 

“Oh, well-”

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

Jisung startled for a moment, until he realized that his phone was ringing. He looked at Chenle with an apologetic look, before picking up the phone and putting it on speaker.

“Hyuck-”

“Hey! So you know how you said that thing about a gift for Chenle-”

“Hyuck!” Jisung screeched, before taking the phone off of speaker and running down the hallway with it pressed to his ear. He whispered something angrily into it for a few minutes, before sighing and turning back to Chenle with a beet red face. “Change of plans… uhm, can we go to the hyung’s dorm?”

“Sure?”

~

Chenle was expecting… some kind of normalcy from the hyung’s dorm. He had been there a handful of times, and he genuinely had a certain level of respect for the older members, but when he walked into the dorm and saw eight of the most talented, respected people he knew dressed in _maid outfits_ , things definitely shifted.

“What-” Chenle began, before he was cut off by Mark screaming at Hyuck to _‘put down his skirt’_. 

“Uhm…” Jisung tried. “We’re… like… well… uhm… I didn’t know what to do for ‘eight maids a milking’ so Hyuck got the bright idea to put the hyungs in maid costumes for you…” 

_‘Eight maids a milking?’_

“Oh, well, okay,” Chenle replied. His eyes wandered around the living room, at all of his hyungs dressed in different variations of the same maid outfit, and he couldn’t help but want to laugh. 

“Tonight,” Hyuck started, announcer voice in full effect, drumming on his thigh with the tips of his fingers. “In the million-seller dorm! We are having a fashion show… in honor of our special guest Mr. Zhoooooonnnnng Cheeeennnnnleeeee!”

Everyone turned their eyes on Chenle, who just sat there with a bright red face, a goofy smile plastered permanently on his lips.

Hyuck sat on the top of one of the chairs while Renjun flicked the lights on and off as the Hyungs began walking through the room, clad in their maid outfits.

Yuta and Jungwoo walked hand in hand, their heads held high, flaunting their legs off under their skirts. Next was Johnny, whose skirt was so short the hem of his underwear was visible under the white ruffles. Following Johnny came Doyoung, who did not look happy as he scowled at Chenle the entire walk through the living room. Taeyong was next, and his expression was bright as he skipped through the room, his skirt fluttering behind him. Next was Jaehyun, who strutted through the living room- full competitive mode as he tried to give his best for Chenle. Taeil came shuffling in behind Jaehyun, his skirt fluttering just above his knees. Lastly, came Mark. He held the hem of his skirt in his palms, pulling it down in front of himself as he stumbled down through the living room, face bright red as he passed by Jisung and Chenle.

Chenle clapped and cheered the entire time, whooping and hollering as his hyungs made their way past him and into the room.

Jisung thought the entire ordeal was kind of ridiculous, but he was grateful to Hyuck for putting the effort forth in both embarrassing their hyungs and making Chenle happy.

Chenle couldn’t stop laughing as he snapped pictures of the hyungs in their dresses, tears nearly pouring from his eyes as he took in the sight before him.

Jisung didn’t even really care about the maid outfits, the only thing in the room he was paying attention to was the smile on Chenle’s face.


	9. December 21st

**December 21st - 4 days until Christmas**

_On the ninth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Nine ladies dancing…_

After the absolute _ordeal_ that was Chenle’s gift the day previous, Jisung decided that he couldn’t just give Chenle something mediocre. He had to make the most of the final days leading up to Christmas so that the actual day and the actual gift he was giving Chenle on Christmas would be even more special.

When Chenle walked into the practice room the following morning, Jisung grabbed his hand and ran off with him down the hallway, with plans to show him something with less of a _risqué_ concept.

“Where are we going?” Chenle asked as he trailed behind Jisung. 

“Somewhere special,” Jisung replied from where he was in front of Chenle. 

They ran through the halls for a few minutes, before Jisung brought Chenle to a door at the end of an unfamiliar hallway.

“Jisung? Where are we? I’ve never been to this part of the building before,” Chenle said looking around at the colorful posters and paintings on the walls of the hallway.

“This is where we practice as kids when we first join the company,” Jisung replied. “I started out here when I was ten, and then when I grew older I moved to the other side of the building with the older kids.”

He smiled at Chenle before leading him into the room, where a few little girls were sitting on the ground in a big circle. On the other side of the room a woman was standing at a stereo system, searching through songs on her phone.

Jisung smiled and waved to the kids as he walked Chenle over to the woman.

“Teacher Seo?” Jisung called. The woman turned around, a big smile on her face as she nodded to Jisung. 

“Class!” She yelled. “Get ready for your performance! You have two minutes!”

Chenle watched as the little girls all stood up and stretched, before getting into a straight line. “What’s going on?” He asked Jisung, as they followed the woman to the front of the studio.

“I come here and help teach the students every few weeks,” Jisung confessed. “No one really knows that, though so… keep it a secret, okay?” He winked at Chenle, who just nodded slowly, a blush rising to his cheeks. “So when I come here they have me teach them something special that Teacher Seo hasn’t taught them yet… and I kind of used that to my advantage for your gift today.”

 _My ‘gift today’?_ Chenle thought. 

Jisung smiled as he and Chenle settled themselves in front of the girls. Teacher Seo nodded before pressing play on her phone, and then the girls started dancing to NCT Dream’s _Candle Light_. Which was, of course, Chenle’s favorite song.

_Candle light_

_ajik jamkkanman are you ready_

_naega shinhoreul jumyeon_

_hana dul set sego nuneul tteo bwa_

_mwot ttaemune naega ireoneunji_

_neon gunggeumhae hajiman_

_amu naldo aningeol_

The girls danced all around each other, doing their best to convey the emotions that _Candle Light_ ’s lyrics held, the memories and importance of the day the dreamies spent filming and recording it.

_Like Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday_

_neowa hamkkehan sungan naegen always_

_maeil gachi teukbyeolhaesseosseunikka_

_bureo bwa candle light candle light candle light baby_

_hamkkehae jun modeun nal gomabdaneun tteushiya_

_ireol ttaen waenji nan waenji nan waenji nan baby_

_ssukseureobgin hajiman neol saranghandan tteushiya_

_hwanhage miso jin nunbushin neol boni_

_Na na na na na na na_

_neowa na yeongwonhi haedallan sowoni_

_da irwojil geot gata woo_

And Jisung knew full well why Chenle loved _Candle Light_. He knew how important the song was to Chenle, and how now, two years later, he still calls it his favorite song.

_ara dagaol naldeureun_

_neomuna bultumyeonghago_

_jinagan nareun ashwiwo_

_hajiman deo geokjeongeun ma_

_oneulgwa gateun harureul_

_harusshik deohaegamyeon dwae woo_

_nan Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday_

_neoro chaewogal gyehwegman gadeukhae_

_i jeongdomyeon jom wanbyeokhal geot gata_

_bureobwa candle light candle light candle light baby_

_hamkkehae jun modeun nal gomabdaneun tteushiya_

_ireol ttaen waenji nan waenji nan waenji nan baby_

_ssukseureobgin hajiman neol saranghandan tteushiya_

_hwanhage miso jin nunbushin neol boni_

_Na na na na na na na_

_neowa na yeongwonhi haedallan sowoni_

_da irwojil geot gata woo_

The girls finished dancing, the end of the song bringing forth an impromptu kick-line that nearly brought Chenle to tears from both cuteness and emotion.

After Chenle and Jisung thanked and complimented the class, they headed out of the practice room and back down the hallway to where they were supposed to be practicing.

“That was so cute,” Chenle said, his voice barely above a whisper.

“I’m glad you liked it,” Jisung replied. “They worked really hard on that so…”

It was quiet for a while more, and Jisung slowed his pace so he could have a bit more time with Chenle, even just an extra second or two was enough for him. He was happy to even have the time to be with him at all, so he was going to make every moment last.

When they finally reached the practice room, Jisung grabbed onto Chenle’s hand once more, stopping him from entering.

“Tomorrow… can I come over in the morning?” He was hesitant in asking, as they didn’t have practice the following day.

“Sure,” Chenle answered. “Any particular reason why?”

“I can’t come in the afternoon,” Jisung said. “I have a ballet class at four so… I probably won’t be able to see you until the morning, or at night. So, I wanted to see you earlier in case you had plans or something.”

_He wants to see me tomorrow… even though he’s busy?_

Chenle thought it over for a moment, before shaking his head. “I’ll come see you after your class. I have something for you, actually.”

“Oh-” Jisung started. “Uhm- okay. That’s… okay, that sounds good.”

Chenle smiled up at him for another moment, before opening the door and heading into the practice room.


	10. December 22nd

**December 22nd - 3 days until Christmas**

_On the tenth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Ten lords a leaping…_

The morning after the dancing girls gift, Chenle woke up with a plan. He was going to give Jisung his very own gift today.

Chenle had devised that the likelihood of Jisung having a gift or something planned out for him were slim, being that he had an entire afternoon of dance classes to attend. That _also_ meant that Chenle had plenty of time to plan out just what exactly he wanted to do- he was a perfectionist, after all.

So Chenle took his time with showering, picking out his clothes, brainstorming ideas for how to execute his plan perfectly, etc. 

When eleven o’clock finally rolled around, Chenle got up off of the couch and slipped on a pair of sneakers, before heading out the door and down the road towards the SM building.

His heart was in his throat with every step he took, memories of him and Jisung passing by him like leaves in the wind.

_The time Jisung and I raided the convenience store on the corner of 48th._

_The time Jisung and I had a snowball fight at the old park on the hill._

_The time Jisung and I sat in the ramen shop eating two or three bowls at 2 am after hours of practice._

_The time Jisung and I skipped home to the dorm after finally finding out our debut date._

_The time Jisung and I cried on the curb of the SM building after finding out Jaemin wasn’t coming back for a while._

_All of these memories, no matter good, bad, happy, sad, exciting- they were all spent with Jisung. He was always there. He **is** always there. I think it’s time I finally show him what all of this meant to me… what all of this **means** to me. It’s time I share a part of myself neither Jisung or I have ever met. It’s only fitting he meets boyfriend Zhong Chenle first… and it's only fitting he be the only one to ever meet him. My Park Jisung. My best friend. My soulmate._

Chenle rode the elevator all the way up to the top floor of the SM building, his heart beating so hard he could feel it in his feet.

He marched delicately down the hallway and to the technical dance room. Once he was outside he peered in through the sliver of glass that lined the left side of the door, and watched as Jisung and nine other boys all moved in sync to some classical piece that was playing over the speakers. They leapt from one side of the room to the other, landing gracefully beside each other, their toes pointed high as they turned again and again around the room, kicking and leaping and _flying_.

Chenle watched in amazement as the routine came to an end and the dancers all fell to the floor in exhaustion, Jisung’s face painted with a smile as he placed his head down onto one of the other dancer’s laps.

Chenle’s heart caught mid-bounce.

Jisung was breathing heavy, chest rising and falling as he stared up dreamily at the other dancer, his eyes pooling endlessly with what seemed like…

_Love?_

Chenle watched as close as he could, trying to will himself to unsee what was unfolding before him. Trying to make it all go away- what was the obvious that was happening right in front of him? Was he seeing it right? Was Jisung really sending heart eyes to this anonymous dancer who had his back turned to Chenle, hiding any sort of evidence of his own feelings towards Jisung? Was all of this… everything Jisung had done up until now… was it all fake? Was Chenle reading it wrong? Were the signs there or did he mistake friendship for love?

Chenle couldn’t take it anymore.

Not the questions, or the memories, or the emotions, or the look in Jisung’s eyes.

So he turned his back and ran, dropping the gift bag he had brought for Jisung on the ground, and fleeing the scene. He needed to get away. He needed to make sense of it all.

~

It wasn’t until twenty minutes later did Jisung walk out of the practice room, slick with sweat but equally excited to see Chenle.

He stood in the hallway and looked left and right, even walked a few paces to move into the view of different rooms- but Chenle was nowhere to be found.

Worry immediately setting in, he reached out his phone and began dialing Chenle’s number. He was stopped right before hitting the call button- by Jeno.

“I saw this on the ground,” Jeno spoke, before handing Jisung a white gift bag. “It says your name on the tag- and it looks like it’s in Chenle’s handwriting.”

“Oh, uhm, thanks but-”

“I have to run, Ji,” Jeno interjected. “Can you send me the link to the commercial when you get it though? I want to show Jaem the cringey look you were giving me, and I know teacher Kim won’t send it to me if I ask.”

“Yeah, sure,” Jisung replied, before sighing and watching as Jeno scurried off down the hallway.

That day in class they were instructed to perform their routine, and then fall dramatically to the floor and onto each other in a ‘pile of love’ as their dance instructor had called it. They were shooting a commercial for the SM Dance School, and Jisung had to look at Jeno ‘as if he was in love with him’ as he had been instructed.

 _The fucking commercial…_ Jisung thought, before he took the gift bag in his hand and sat down on the ground underneath one of the windows. _Chenle is gonna tear me a new one after he sees the way I was looking at Jeno… fucks sake. Teacher Kim and all of her crazy ideas… ‘boys in love’ please… Jeno’s lucky I was pretending he was Chenle the entire time I was staring at him._

He sighed before reaching into the bag and pulling out a small white box and a blue envelope. The envelope said one thing- _Jisung._

Jisung opened the box and revealed a pin with a male ballet dancer on it. He had his eyes closed, and was in the middle of a leap _._ Jisung tried to swallow his tears back as he slowly opened the letter.

_Jisung,_

_You are everything to me. You are my best friend, my team mate, my partner in crime, my twin flame. You have been nothing but good to me since the beginning of all of this, and I am so happy to be able to say that I met you. I know for a fact that even if we had never met in these circumstances, that we would have found each other. You and I are just meant to be. Thank you for never letting me down or leading me on or hurting me. Thank you for putting up with me on my worst days, and for giving me my best days. Thank you for being you and for being born. Thank you for always being so kind and understanding. Thank you for loving me. At the end of the day- you’re the only person in this world who I truly love._

_-_

_Zhong Chenle -the future love of your life-_

Jisung’s face was wet with tears as he stood from where he was on the ground. The floor was completely empty, and he searched aimlessly for Chenle, but he was nowhere to be found. He needed to see Chenle. Needed to thank him. Needed to hug him. Needed to kiss him. He needed Chenle- but Chenle wasn’t there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> rhank you for reading :( <333 and please lmk what y'all think of this one,,


	11. December 23rd

**December 23rd - 2 days until Christmas**

_On the eleventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Eleven pipers piping…_

Jisung tried calling Chenle, he tried texting him over and over again, tried looking for him in the building, he even tried asking staff if they had seen him- but he was nowhere to be found.

 _This doesn’t make any sense._ Jisung thought. 

He was out of the SM building now, and was starting to walk to Chenle’s apartment. The streets were relatively packed, what with everyone getting their last minute Christmas shopping done. Even if Chenle was somewhere on the road, there was no way Jisung would be able to pick him out of the crowd.

He huffed out a sigh as he began his walk to Chenle’s building.

 _It’s half past twelve_. Jisung thought, looking down at his watch, the digital numbers flashing before him and bringing even more questions into his mind. _He said he would meet me after practice… Why didn’t he show up? Or wait… he must have showed up if the bag was there. So did he leave? Did I miss him or did he miss me? But then why wouldn’t he call or text me? Why wouldn’t he answer any of my calls or texts? Maybe something happened with his mom or something and he left in a hurry without thinking? Maybe he got sick and had to leave? Fuck. This is so weird… I have to head back to his place to find him. I already basically missed an entire gift day, I have to get something to him now before Christmas eve comes and **that** surprise is ruined. Come on Chenle… where are you?_

Jisung ran a hand through his hair as he landed upon Chenle’s building, bounding up the stairs two at a time until he finally reached Chenle’s floor.

He didn’t bother knocking on the door, just typed in the keycode and entered like he owned the place.

Jisung was expecting the lights to be turned on at the very least, but it was pitch black inside of the apartment, the place looking almost completely abandoned- save for the pile of limited edition sneakers and old battered umbrellas that graced Chenle’s foyer.

Jisung stepped into the apartment and turned the lights on, walking around a bit before finally opting to call out into the obviously empty space.

“Chenle?” Jisung shouted. “It’s me, Jisung. I’m here because you weren’t at the building like you said you would be! Are you here somewhere?”

After a beat or so of silence, Jisung was forced to realize that he really was _alone_.

He paced a few more steps in Chenle’s living room before sighing and stepping back out the door and into the building.

 _Chenle… wherever you are, I’m going to find you._ Jisung thought. _I just hope you’re okay._

Jisung began walking through the city, searching everywhere he could to find Chenle. He searched inside of the convenience store on the corner 48th Street, at the park on the top of the hill, even inside of the ramen shop they had visited once or twice after practice. It wasn't until Jisung found himself standing back in front of the SM building 30 minutes later- did he finally realize that something must _seriously_ be wrong. He called Jaemin and Jeno, and even Mark at the 127 dorm, but no one had any idea where Chenle could possibly be. 

_There's only one place… but I doubt- I doubt he’ll be there._

Something in the back of Jisung’s mind was begging him to check one specific spot, even though the likelihood of Chenle being there was slim- he still had to look, just in case.

So Jisung climbed the final three flights of stairs that the SM building’s elevators didn’t reach, and stopped in front of the final door that could possibly lead him to where Chenle was, though Jisung had already deemed it impossible.

Jisung pushed the door open gently, until the freezing air of the night pressed against his cheeks and his feet landed on the blacktop of the roof of the SM building.

The city lights shimmered brightly all around the roof, the main source of light being the moon. Jisung’s eyes narrowed as he walked closer to the edge of the roof, searching for Chenle’s silhouette in the nighttime.

“Ch-” Jisung began, until he heard something.

_Sniffle._

Jisung sighed as his eyes adjusted to the darkness finally, and he saw Chenle sitting on the edge of the roof, his shoulders shaking as he dangled his feet over the end of the building.

Jisung took a deep breath before walking over to Chenle’s figure and sitting behind him, taking in his body with his arms.

“Why are you crying?” Jisung asked, voice husky and hot against Chenle’s ear.

“N-no r-reason, p-please Jisung, let me go,” Chenle tried, his voice quivering with every word.

“Why do you want me to let you go?” Jisung spoke, tightening his grip on Chenle’s torso. 

“Because that would be cheating.”

“Cheating?”

“You’re basically cheating on that boy in your ballet class, if you hold me this close for any longer,” Chenle said, as if it was the simplest thing in the world.

“I’m- huh?” Jisung asked, voice raising to a confused yelp as he took in Chenle’s words. “What are you talking about?”

“I saw… I saw you earlier,” Chenle explained. “The way your head was in his lap… I saw it and it’s fine, I get it but-” “That was Jeno,” Jisung interjected, to which Chenle spun around in his arms and faced him, expression painted with bewilderment.

“Wh-” “Our dance instructor had us film our routine for some commercial for the company, and at the end we all had to cuddle close to each other to create a ‘dreamy shot’ or whatever. So I put my head on Jeno’s lap. Believe me- we were both cringing.”

“I- you-”

“No need to worry about anything, or _cry_ about anything,” Jisung replied. “I’m not… cheating on anyone.” It was silent for a few seconds as Chenle’s face went red, and instead of facing Jisung, he opted for burying his head in his neck instead. He could feel Jisung giggle against his skin, and wanted nothing more than to send himself off the side of the building at that very moment.

The silence was soon interrupted by a chorus of flutes playing from somewhere in the distance, the tune of _Hark Hear the Bells_ playing sweetly against Chenle and Jisung’s ears.

_Merry Christmas Eve eve Zhong Chenle._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading <333


	12. December 24th

**December 24th - 1 day until Christmas**

_On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_Twelve drummers drumming…_

The walk back to Chenle’s apartment was somewhat awkward, especially considering how nervous he was about everything he and Jisungf had just talked about.

Did this mean that they understood how each other felt? Did this mean that they were together? Or at least aware of the other’s feelings? Did this mean that Jisung liked him back?

Chenle’s brain was an endless reel of questions, but he couldn’t be bothered with asking Jisung anything right now. Not when he was as absolutely mortified as he was right now. They eventually made it back to Chenle’s apartment, safe and sound and just the littlest bit freezing cold.

“Are you hungry?” Jisung asked, once he was cuddled into the couch, Chenle sitting awkwardly beside him.

“Not really,” Chenle replied. “I’m just… kind of tired, is all. If you’re hungry, you’re more than welcome to anything in the fridge. I can cook for you too, if you want.”

“No, no,” Jisung said. “I’m pretty tired too. Uhm, do you mind if I use your shower and then sleep here? I don’t want to bother manager hyung to come get me… I mean tomorrow is Christmas eve and all.”

“Oh-” Chenle started, as if he was just reminded of that fact. “Yeah, I guess it is… Uhm, sure, yeah, you can shower and crash here. I have some of your clothes and stuff here anyway. I’ll get it all ready while you shower and I’ll leave it on the counter in the bathroom. Just leave the door unlocked.”

“Thanks Chenle,” Jisung replied. He stood from where he was on the couch and made his way into the bathroom. It wasn’t before long that Chenle heard the water turn on.

Chenle rose from the couch and walked into his bedroom, picking out some of _Jisung’s_ clothes that he had in one of his dresser drawers.

He couldn’t help but linger outside of the bathroom door, thoughts flooding his mind at the current and obvious state of awkwardness between them.

_Does he not… like me back? Did he not get the gift? Did he not read the letter? Maybe… maybe he doesn’t feel the same? Maybe he’s just trying to be a good friend and he’s ignoring it. I guess… I guess it’s better that way then. I’ll settle with this then. That’s fine._

He huffed out a sigh before opening the bathroom door and placing the clothes on the counter. Chenle tried to ignore the flutter in his heart as he heard Jisung singing a Christmas song quietly to himself on the other side of the curtain, but the blush that rose to his cheeks made it nearly impossible to ignore.

Chenle was quick to retire to bed, not wanting to face Jisung for any longer. He needed Christmas to be over so he could go back to normal, so life could be fine again, so he could be who he was before he realized he was in love with his best friend.

It wasn’t long after that Jisung joined Chenle in bed.

He looked over at Chenle’s sleeping figure and smiled.

_Goodnight Chenle. Thank you for the gift… and the letter… they mean so much to me._

~

When morning finally came, Jisung and Chenle once again found themselves tangled together in a mess of limbs and pillows.

It felt so right to Chenle, but he knew he needed to move away from Jisung and stop what he was doing. Jisung would have confessed to him on the roof if he felt the same, right? So Chenle slid out of Jisung’s arms and off of the bed, opting to find comfort in breakfast instead of Jisung.

Chenle often cooked when he was sad or frustrated, but very seldom did he let himself be completely taken over by the need to cry when he was cooking. But of course, this case was much different than any other time that he was sad, so Chenle allowed himself to cry.

He was just… over it. Over everything with Jisung and Christmas and his parents not being with him. He just wanted for it to all end and for life to go back to normal.

Jisung eventually stumbled into the kitchen, driven out of bed by the smell of bacon and pancakes.

“Good morning,” Jisung greeted.

“Good morning,” Chenle replied. He made sure his face was presentable before turning to Jisung and serving him a plate of food. “There’s plenty so… eat up.”

Jisung smiled at Chenle before he dug into the meal, munching happily as Chenle watched in silence.

“Oh-” Jisung began. He took down a gulp of orange juice before continuing. “I have plans for us later. There’s this really cool thing happening downtown for Christmas eve and I want you to come with me. How does that sound?”

Chenle wanted to say no, wanted to stay away from all things _Jisung_ and _Christmas_. But of course, Chenle couldn’t say no to Jisung.

So that’s how Chenle found himself bundled under three different layers, standing on the curb of one of the most packed streets of Seoul with Jisung, the pair watching as a Christmas parade came tumbling down the street.

“Isn’t this so cool?” Jisung asked. He was watching as Santa Claus threw handfuls of candy to the audience, the float he was on decorated completely with snowmen and different Christmas themed items, although it had yet to snow, and really didn’t even feel like Christmas.

Chenle sighed inwardly.

“It’s-” Suddenly music came flooding in from the bottom of the street, and Chenle watched as a marching band came up the street, blasting Christmas tunes through their horns and shaking the ground with their drums. Jisung smiled down at Chenle, who watched with wonder as the marching band passed by them, the pulse of their hearts matching with that of the drums.

Jisung knew that Chenle loved live bands, and everything seemed to be according to plan as he followed Chenle down the street as he began to walk, following the band for the remainder of the parade.

Chenle, somehow swayed by the band and the songs they played, allowed himself to push past the feeling of dread that had been filling his heart for the last few days. He had fun with Jisung, despite the fact that he was still confused at Jisung and everything he had been doing the last two weeks. He recognized that this might not be the smartest thing to do, but that didn’t matter.

If he could have Jisung like this, even at an arm’s length, then he would settle with that. But at the end of the day, Chenle still hoped a Christmas miracle would happen and he would end up with Jisung, because even if Chenle didn’t believe in Christmas, he still believed in him and Jisung.

Jisung dropped Chenle off at his apartment a few hours later.

His _real_ plan was going to come into play later that evening, and if there _was_ such a thing as Christmas magic, everything would work out in the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you for reading !! merry christmas eve <333


	13. December 25th

**December 25th - Christmas Day**

_On the final day of Christmas, my true love gave to me_

_One heart in a soul-shaped box_

On Christmas morning, Chenle woke up alone, of course. 

Jisung had returned back to the dorms the previous night, leaving Chenle alone, and that was honestly a relief for him. He was exhausted after spending the day with Jisung, especially after everything his heart was going through.

But still- he was lonely.

His mother wasn’t that crazy about Christmas, which was why Chenle didn’t care much for it either, but she would still make it fun for him. There would always be presents under the tree, she would always make a big breakfast for them, and then Chenle would go off to the dorm and hang out until dinner came, and then he and his mother would go out to dinner, and end the day off together. 

So Chenle walked out into the living room and sat on the couch and watched the lights twinkle on the tree; the underside completely void of any gifts. 

Jisung, on the other hand, woke up with a headache. 

There was a lot he needed to do before he saw Chenle, and pretty much all of that was time sensitive and dependent on both mother nature and his own personal timing. 

He stumbled out of his bedroom and into the living room after Jaemin had called for everyone to wake up and exchange presents, and now Jisung was sitting in a pile of wrapping paper as reality set in and he realized that today was the day he had been waiting for. 

Today was what all of the anticipation was for. Today was what the last two weeks had been spent preparing for. Today was _the_ day. 

So Jisung got dressed in the nicest outfit he had in his closet, said goodbye to the rest of the boys, and headed over to Chenle’s at half past one. 

When Jisung arrived, Chenle opened the door clad in his pajamas, the Christmas tree being the only source of light in the apartment. 

“What are you doing here?” Chenle asked, cheeks burning red in embarrassment. 

“I thought you knew I was going to make Christmas special for you?” Jisung replied. He pushed past Chenle and entered the apartment, slipping his shoes off as he plopped himself down next to the tree. 

“But- you didn’t say you were coming here now,” Chenle answered.

“Just get dressed,” Jisung replied. He smiled up at Chenle from where he was on the couch. “We’re going somewhere special.”

Chenle stopped for a moment before he scurried off down the hallway and into his bedroom, rifling through his clothes at a rapid pace as he searched for something suitable to wear.

 _Why is he here? What am I supposed to do?_ Chenle ran a hand through his hair as he started trying on different outfits, trying to make sure he looked presentable for whatever it was that Jisung was planning on doing with him.

Chenle huffed out a groan as he looked his final outfit over, before rushing back out into the living room to meet Jisung.

“Are you ready?” Jisung asked as he stood from the couch, meeting Chenle in the center of the room. 

“Y-yeah, but like, where are we going?” Chenle spoke, looking over Jisung’s slender figure. “Why didn’t you call ahead of time? I would have had an easier time getting ready.”

“You look cute anyway,” Jisung replied. He placed a hand over Chenle’s wrist and brought him towards the door. “By the way, are you ready to go?”

“I guess, but- where are we going?”

“Somewhere special,” Jisung said. He looked down at Chenle, examining his face for a moment. “A special place for a special boy.” 

Chenle’s face went bright red as Jisung pulled him out the door, out onto the hustle and bustle of the city streets. 

First, Jisung brought Chenle to a small cafe on the other side of town, and the pair sat and ate in near silence, the commotion of the restaurant drowning out any possible conversation the two of them could have been having.

Chenle was still incredibly confused on what Jisung’s plans were for them, and even as Jisung led him by the hand through the city, he could not for the life of him figure out why Jisung was still spending time with him.

Next, Jisung brought Chenle to a toy store and allowed him to pick out whatever he wanted.

“Are you sure?” Chenle had asked.

“Of course,” Jisung replied. “Just pick whatever, I don’t care. I want you to enjoy yourself today.”

“But… why?”

“No reason, really...” Jisung said. “Just pick something cute.”

Chenle nodded, and walked around the store for a plushie he thought would be cute. Coincidentally, the best one he found was a mouse, and Chenle smiled silently to himself as he watched Jisung pull out his card and pay for it.

The sun had begun to set at half past four, and Chenle and Jisung had finally landed upon their supposed ‘final spot’, as Jisung had stated when they arrived. 

They were now standing inside of an empty bookshop on the top floor of a skyscraper that Chenle had never paid attention to before.

The windows stretched all the way from the floor to the ceiling, the city on full display in front of them, lights twinkling like a sea of stars.

“What are we doing here?” Chenle asked.

Jisung took a deep breath, and closed his eyes before he let his eyes fall on Chele fully.

“I really… I have a lot to say right now, honestly,” Jisung began. “But it’s so hard to find the right words when everything sits on the line right in front of you. Your gift to me… it… it really warmed my heart. These last few weeks together have been so great. They’ve brought us so much closer, and I really hope you can see what I’m saying when I say I really love you. You’re so much more than a best friend. You’re so much more than a colleague or a teammate or whatever. I really love you.”

“What… Jisung I… What do you mean?”

“I mean that I wasn’t cheating on anyone in ballet class because I’m not dating anyone. I’m single but I really don’t want to be,” Jisung said, a small smile rising to his lips. “I want to date you, Zhong Chenle.”

Chenle didn’t know what to say.

But he didn’t have to say anything, because Jisung took the lead and instead of using his words to continue the conversation, he used his lips.

Chenle felt sparks fly between him and Jisung, the air somehow becoming lighter beneath his feet. Everything seemed to make so much more sense now. It was as if the cogs in his and Jisung’s hearts had finally started turning together.

Just as Jisung and Chenle shared their first kiss, the snow began to fall- blanketing Seoul in sheets of white, snowflakes like angels covering the ground.

When they separated, Chenle couldn’t help but smile.

“So… about your gift today,” Jisung began. “How about a boyfriend?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> once again we're here... what the heck ?? lols this has been CRAZY because updating every day has made me want to stop existing hehehe anyways i hope y'all enjoyed !! also merry christmas <333 thank you for reading ^^

**Author's Note:**

> comments and kudos are much appreciated! see you tomorrow! twt + cc: @zhongwritings


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